Pakistan drops to 158 in Global Press Freedom Index: RSF report
Pakistan
The report also raised alarm over media ownership concentration in India
LAHORE (Web Desk) - Pakistan’s ranking in the Global Press Freedom Index has declined from 152 to 158, according to the latest report released by Reporters without Borders (RSF), which assessed press freedom across 180 countries.
The report attributed Pakistan's decline primarily to tightening restrictions on journalistic freedom, highlighting growing censorship and limitations imposed on the media landscape.
It stated that Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, with multiple murders each year that are often linked to cases of corruption or illegal trafficking and which go completely unpunished.
It is noteworthy that Pakistan ranked 142 out of 180 counties in 2019, which reflects are sharp decline of 16 points in the last six years.
RSF also expressed serious concerns about global threats to press freedom, noting that economic pressures on the media have become a worsening issue. The report warned that in many countries, including the United States, media outlets were shutting down due to financial constraints. It also reported that authoritarian governments were increasingly using economic means to control the press.
The report also raised alarm over media ownership concentration in India, stating that control was held predominantly in the hands of a few political elites. It labeled the situation in Palestine as catastrophic, revealing that nearly 200 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces amid ongoing conflict.
